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Coburg Road Corridor

Smiles on at Bayberry Salon

Samantha Robinhold says Bayberry Salon reminds her a lot of the Boston neighborhood pub in the 1980s TV show “Cheers.” The pub employees greet all their customers by name.

A Eugene native and Bayberry Salon’s owner, Robinhold lived in Boston for a few years, so “Cheers” comes to mind when she thinks about the kind of ambience she wants to create for salon customers when they walk through the door: welcome and among friends.

Since she opened her doors two years ago, Robinhold, her three hair stylists and one nail technician have cultivated a loyal following in the neighborhood.

As customers walked in one recent morning, the owner greeted them cordially, telling one customer she had tried her recipe, and asking another about her recent vacation. They weren’t Robinhold’s clients, but as the salon’s owner, she practices her philosophy that each person matters.

“We are a friendly neighborhood salon,” she says, with a decidedly different atmosphere than a salon in a mall, where someone might stop in as a matter of convenience. “We want to create a warm relationship with our customers.”

Robinhold says when people are shopping for a salon, they are looking for more than just a haircut. “They are looking for a relationship” with a stylist they can rely on. They want a salon where they feel they can leave their troubles behind.

The interior of Bayberry Salon, just around the corner from Blockbuster Video on Coburg Road, radiates warmth, too. Textured beige walls have the comforting feeling of warm toast, while black wrought iron sconces and styling stations with black chairs and mirrors speak of understated chic.

Apparently the ambience appeals to people of all ages. Regulars include retired people and empty nesters who live nearby. “They can walk here and ride their bikes,” says Robinhold, who guesses 20 percent of the salon’s customers are men. “(We) do a lot of kids.” Few resist a haircut for long, she says, as she pulled out a jar of Tootsie Pops. “It doesn’t take much to please a child.”

The salon’s hair stylists provide a range of hair design services for women, men and children: They cut and style, they set, they blow dry and style. They color and highlight, perm and straighten. They offer a range of waxing services, including brows, upper lips and chins. A nail technician does pedicures and manicures, and sends some customers away with full sets of gel nails.

Like clothing, hairstyles change, too, says Robinhold, who has been a stylist for 15 years. Stylists need to stay abreast of trends, even ahead of them. Right now, “Curls are coming back.”

A first-time business owner, Robinhold says she spent a long time looking for the “right” neighborhood location. She admits hers is just a tiny bit “off the beaten path,” but not hard to find with a turn off of busy Coburg Road onto Rustic Place at Blockbuster Video. “We have done so well, (even though) it was a challenge starting a business during the recession.”

As a result of the recession, most people curtailed their spending in a number of ways. For Robinhold’s business, that has translated into Bayberry Salon picking up customers who may have been paying for hair styling at full-service spas (that also do facials, makeup, massages and other specialized services). Pricing at Bayberry Salon is comparable to mid-range salons that focus primarily on hair and nails, Robinhold says. It’s more expensive than express-cut chain salons, but “not in the day spa price range,” either.

The lengthy search for her location was well worth it, Robinhold says. “Oakway is a great community of people. I feel blessed.”